From The Artists Studio

"Spring Flowers on Woven Background" by Karen Monath, a quiltwork in RAA's exhibit "A Color Mix of Quilts and Artwork."
Opening Reception And Fashion Show Sunday

Luscious, alluring, whimsical, delicious, playful, elegant, exquisite. Only some of the adjectives that could be used to describe the artworks, and their subjects, to be seen in the two RAA exhibitions opening on Sunday, April 19 from 1-3 p.m. in the galleries of RoCA at Fort Tilden.

Introduced first by a wine tasting on Friday evening, April 17 at 7 p.m., the weekend of "Wine and Dine" and "A Color Mix of Quilts and Artwork" will offer the public treats for the eyes, ears, taste buds and the sensitive noses of any Frasier Crane-like wine connoisseurs among you. Have no fear - if you don't have a sommelier's knowledge of the juice of the grape, you will acquire a few pointers on Friday evening. Be introduced to varieties of wine with which you may not be familiar. On the table will be food to complement the drink. Oh, and for these pleasures, a donation of $5 is requested. Thanks.

This weekend RAA is participating in a celebration. The Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs is sponsoring Immigrant Heritage Week meant to celebrate immigrants of all ages and nationalities and their contributions to New York City. What a great fit! Part of the rich fabric that is RAA is due to the members from around the world who have contributed their cultures, sensibilities and myriad talents to our organization. That colorful fabric can be seen in "Wine and Dine" and "A Color Mix of Quilts and Artwork."

Sunday's opening reception features a fashion show organized by "Color Mix" curator Ludmila Bokov. Born in Russia, she brought her dressmaking talents to this country and was, in turn, influenced by the craft and art of our truly American quilts, allowing her to discover her passion - the art of quilt making. The wearable quiltwork in the fashion show is created by Bokov and an international roster of artists.

Performing following the fashion show is the popular Irish band Reda Shea, which has entertained at RAA's Thursday Open Mike Music Nights.

Get ready to participate in the day's events. You will be invited to leave your mark and your heritage on a wall-sized sheet; decorated with the entire world, no less. Most of us, I would guess, are not very far removed, if at all, from shores well beyond the Rockaway beach.

Just to give you a taste (pun intended?) of the two shows:

Marvin Schwartz has incisively photographed murals of our urban environment in which the texture and nature of the wall surface are as important "characters" as the image. "Portrait on the Wall" is a portrait of contrasts — the vibrantly flesh-toned face of a handsome young man on a cracking, peeling and decaying surface.

The quilt "Spring Flowers on Woven Background" by Karen Monath presents a fresh, lively array of flowers perfect for this time of year. Alive with zest and the playful use of color, Susan DeCastro offers a cornucopia of fruits, vegetables and desserts in her still life oil paintings.

Come taste the many flavors of this weekend at the Rockaway Center for the Arts at Fort Tilden. For details, see the "Fort Tilden Highlights" gray box.

Camp kidsmART update: We at camp kidsmART are trying to be as green as we can. Using email is more efficient and produces less garbage. This is why we asked for your email addresses on our camp applications. An email was sent to all parents of registered campers on April 10.

This email is about picking up camp materials and the payment schedule. If we did not have your email address we sent you a letter via regular mail. Expect another email from us within the coming weeks.